Attempted murder charge lodged against hit-and-run doctor

Nonthaburi police have filed four criminal charges, including attempted murder, against the doctor who rammed his car into a security guard of the Ministry of Public Health, causing serious injury to the victim and then sped away.

Pol Gen Wirachai Songmetta, the deputy national police chief, said after jointly interrogated Dr Yorn Chiranakhon at Nonthaburi police station on Tuesday (Nov 14) that the Nonthaburi police inquiry officers handling the case decided to press four charges against the doctor.

The four charges are: Resisting official for refusing to undergo breathalyzer test; driving under the influence of alcohol; reckless driving causing serious injury to the other people; and attempted murder which is the most serious of the four charges slapped against the doctor.

The incident happened at Gate 2 of Bamrasnaradura Instutute at 8.30pm on Nov 10. A Honda sedan driven by Dr Yorn, Region 12 Senior Medical, rammed into Somchai Yamdee, the security guard, who was standing at the gate. Mr Somchai was dragged several metres away from the crash scene. he is still in coma at Phra Nang Klao hospital.

Pol Gen Wirachai said the doctor was charged with attempted murder because, after ramming his car at the ministry’s gate, causing injury to the security guard, he stopped the car for 25 seconds and, later on, drove the car over the injured.

“The brief stoppage of the car for 25 seconds was interpreted as meaning that the driver was considering the situation which was regarded as intentional to kill the guard and, hence, the attempted murder charge,” he said.

Regarding the charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, Pol Gen Wirachai said the law states that a person who refused to undergo alcohol test will be assumed that that person is under the influence of alcohol.

However, police still have to produce evidence to prove the allegation.

Dr Yorn today acknowledged all the charges against him but denied all of them. He, however, admitted that he was behind the wheel of the car in question, but did not drink.

Meanwhile Pol Col Panyapat Detchotepisit, the superintendent of Nonthaburi police, said the inquiry officers were trying to gather evidence from witnesses to prove that the doctor refused breathalyzer test.